


Nightmare

by TheLonelyGhost



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-06
Updated: 2017-11-06
Packaged: 2019-01-30 11:14:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12652464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheLonelyGhost/pseuds/TheLonelyGhost
Summary: Tony has a nightmare. Loki pulls him out of it. But there's something not quite right about that, something Tony's forgetting...





	Nightmare

**Author's Note:**

> This took me a couple of hours to write, then I spent the next 3 YEARS editing it. Finally I thought I have to just let it go and post the damn thing.
> 
> Thank you to usedupshiver and silver_drip for your help on this, you guys are awesome!! <3

_“Anthony…_ ”

Tony’s eyes shot open at the sound of his name being called and he gasped for breath, his whole body trembling. He was immediately pulled into the comforting arms of the man lying next to him in the bed as soothing words were whispered into his ear and a hand stroked through his hair.

“It’s alright, Tony. It was just a nightmare. It’s over now. I’ve got you,” Loki told him. Tony buried his face into the crook of the god’s neck, working on steadying his breathing as he desperately tried to push the lingering memories of his bad dream out of his mind.

“Sorry. Did I wake you?” Tony mumbled against Loki’s skin once he was able to bring himself to speak again.

“No, love. I was watching you as you slept.”

“Creepy.”

Loki huffed a laugh and kissed Tony on his temple. Tony drew back just enough so that he could kiss him softly on the lips. Loki placed a hand on the side of his face, stroking his cheek gently with his thumb.

Now that his panic was dissipating, Tony’s mind was slowly returning to the groggy and tired state he had become all too used to from his recent lack of sleep. He found he was unable to think as fast as he usually would and his memories were somewhat foggy. There was something he was forgetting… Tony’s eyebrows furrowed as he attempted to clear his thoughts, to no avail.

All he knew was that having Loki here with him in his arms was making him happier and more content than he thinks he’s been in a while.

“I feel like I haven’t seen you in months,” Tony told him sleepily.

Loki cringed.

“You haven’t,” he responded quietly.

“Where’d you go?”

Loki looked incredibly pained by the question and Tony immediately felt bad for asking. Loki had probably told him before he’d left. He’d wait until he was a little more awake to try and remember.

“You know what? Forget I asked. You’re here now. ‘S all that matters.”

Loki’s smile then was sad and broken.

“I’ve missed you so much.”

“I missed you too, Snowflake,” Tony replied. Loki’s smile grew and became warmer at the mention of his nickname. He leaned in, kissing Tony softly and slowly. Tony moaned against the god’s lips, holding him tighter so that their bodies were pressed together.

When the kiss ended, they stayed close, their foreheads resting against each other and their breaths mingling between them.

“I need you to do something for me, Tony,” Loki told him.

“Sure, babe. Anything.”

“When you wake in the morning, I need you to take a shower, eat a big breakfast, then go downstairs and talk to Dr Banner. About whatever you think you need to talk to him about. You’ve shut everyone out for far too long, Tony. He’s your friend; he can help you.”

Tony’s face fell.

“You’re not staying, are you?”

“No, I’m afraid I cannot. Though I very much wish that I could.” Loki kissed Tony again. “Will you do as I’ve asked?”

“Will you promise to come back soon?”

Loki smiled again, his eyes glassy with unshed tears.

“I will try. I’ll come and see you as often as I possibly can.”

Tony nodded solemnly, accepting that this was probably the best answer he was going to get.

“Okay. I’ll shower and eat and talk to Bruce. Easy peasy.”

Loki pressed a lingering kiss to Tony’s forehead before pulling him in so that his face was buried in the god’s neck once more. He ran a hand through Tony’s hair.

“Get some rest now. I will guide your sleep with pleasant dreams.”

Tony hummed sleepily, his eyes already drooping close. It wasn’t long before he fell asleep.

 

 

\--------------------

 

 

Tony woke up the next morning just after 10am feeling remarkably well-rested for the first time in months. He rubbed at his eyes as he threw back the covers, dragging himself out of bed and towards the bathroom without a second thought. He stripped himself of his clothes and turned on the water for the shower, stepping in once the temperature was just how he liked it. He groaned; it felt like _heaven_. When was the last time he had showered, anyway?

Once clean and freshly shaven (when had his beard gotten so out of control anyway?), Tony got dressed in a t-shirt and jeans and headed for the kitchen. Minutes later he was drinking a cup of freshly brewed coffee and eating scrambled eggs on toast. He practically inhaled it, he was so hungry. Oh, right. He hadn’t really been eating much lately, had he? Not since–

The fork he’d just been holding clattered as it hit the plate as his memories of the night before suddenly came rushing back.

Loki had pulled him out of his nightmare.

This in itself was not an unusual occurrence. Since he and Loki had started sharing a bed for more than just sex, they’d learnt pretty quickly that both of them suffered from frequent nightmares. There hadn’t been much Tony could do for Loki other than wake him up and comfort him as best he could, but Loki was a skilled dream-walker. He would often enter Tony’s nightmare and pull him out and into a more pleasant location. These dreams always felt more real than his regular ones – vivid and detailed to a point where he always thought they were real until he actually woke up the next morning.

The dream with Loki he’d had last night had felt just like that.

Problem was, the god had _died_ over three months ago.

Tony dropped his head into his hands, laughing and sobbing at the same time. Of _course_ Loki wouldn’t let a little thing like death get in the way of contacting his ‘foolish mortal’ to tell him to get his shit together. And Tony had done exactly as he’d been told, hadn’t he? Without a second thought.

Well, there was one last thing he hadn't done yet. _Talk to Bruce_. It wasn't hard to guess what Loki wanted him to talk to the other scientist about. Apart from his overwhelming grief which he'd opted to shoulder alone, without even so much as telling anyone what had caused it (no one knew of his relationship with Loki), there was also the matter of his drinking which had gotten somewhat out of control. On one particularly bad night he'd had so much to drink that he'd ended up in hospital and had to get his stomach pumped.

And though he hadn't truly wanted to die, there was a part of him that’d been disappointed he'd woken up the next morning.

So yeah, maybe Loki was right. Tony did need to talk to someone.

Tony ate the rest of his breakfast and finished off his coffee, putting the dishes in the dishwasher. He leant back against the kitchen counter and sighed, rubbing a hand over his face.

"Jarv?"

" _Yes, sir?_ "

"Where's Bruce right now?"

" _Dr Banner is currently in his laboratory, sir._ "

Tony took a deep breath, walking to the elevator and stepping inside. He reached out, his hand trembling lightly as his fingers hovered over the button for Bruce’s lab.

He startled when the light for the button suddenly came on without him touching it and the elevator started moving. Tony glared half-heartedly up at JARVIS' camera.

" _It appeared you required a little assistance, sir_ ," the AI told him. Tony huffed.

"Thanks," he replied dryly, though he couldn't help the small twitch of his lips that betrayed his amusement. It would seem that JARVIS wanted him to get some help as well.

Moments later, the elevator dinged and the doors opened. Bruce was already standing a few feet away from the elevator; JARVIS had no doubt warned him of his impending arrival. The other man looked Tony over with an expression of worry and maybe just a glimmer of hope.

Tony smiled, a fragile, broken thing, his eyes glassy with tears.

“Hey, Bruce. I, uh… I think… I think I need some help.”

Bruce smiled back at him, warm and relieved.

"Whatever you need, Tony."


End file.
